The Pulveriser - Raphael's Poisoned POV
by Tigan-Ada
Summary: Pretty much what the title says... and a secondary story to go with it after.
1. Chapter 1

_The Pulveriser – Raphael's Poisoned POV _

_By Tigan-Ada_

"What have you got besides teeth!" he challenges.

Fishfaces curves his natural body up against the wall, his massive maw widening with a hiss – even as his intention sinks in, Raphael couldn't bring himself to react quick enough. Fishface bites down hard on his shoulder – the sheer size of his jaws almost engulfing his head!

The incision is terrible and sharp, long teeth cutting into his flesh with the very saliva searing and burning the wound. He gives a startled cry and makes himself slam the ends of his _sais_ into calculative areas of the jaws, forcing Fishface to release him.

As he stumbles back his eyes close at a sudden rush of dizziness.

He groans at the sting, grasping his shoulder to try and suppress it. A leaden weight starts filling his afflicted arm and he drops his _sai_; all over it becomes increasingly harder to control and steady his own body… his thoughts start to fracture, start to forget…

They're in a fight – brothers. He needs to tell his brothers…

"Teeth – I think they're…" his knees buckle beneath him; he can't stop his descent down to the ground, feeling his head rest in the crook of his own arm, "Poison…"

Darkness settles over him. But he needs to get back up. Fight – they're in a… a… he almost forgets he's crouching up now, settling into the numbing darkness behind closed eyes – it feels good, like on the verge of a nap. Dizziness parts his thoughts – his head swims in content abstractions.

"Raph are you okay?" it's Mikey…

"Huh…" he opens his eyes; rainbows glitter off the far walls – everything is like a magically 3-D image in a picture book. He feels his brother's hands slip around his arm, distantly pulling him up; he doesn't resist, but his own weight is pulling him downwards, "Sure. Yeah I'm f-"

His body simply won't cooperate. Something somewhere goes limp and he drops, his sweet little brother keeping him from smacking his face to the hard solid ground. Mikey then lets him lie down; it feels nice not moving…

His brother works over him, moving him onto his shell and… tossing something from above. He's soon in his lovable brother's arms, being supported into a half sitting position in his lap.

He can't contain just how much adoration is seeping through unhindered towards him – a wordless sigh escapes him with the effort of levitating a hand, grateful for Mikey's meeting his halfway.

"I'm… fine," he sounds like he's dreaming; reopening his tightly shut eyes, it feels like he's dreaming. He looks at Mikey, his only baby brother in the whole world, "I love you."

"HE'S _NOT_ FINE!" he feels his hand drop lazily to his lap as Mikey lets go with the shout.

Somewhere a resiliently familiar voice answers back, "Call Donnie, tell him we need an antidote!"

Mikey lowers him back to lie on his shell. He tries to speak, not sure of what though, as his sense of balance reacts confusingly to the small action. Even as he lies still, he feels the world pitch and yaw all around.

It slowly settles while once rigid and featureless objects on the roof bounce to life, bursting through the shower of colours and bobbing around like a zoo of cartoons. A delirious smile tugs at his lips at the sight.

"DONNIE! WE NEED HELP! RAPH'S BEEN BITTEN BY A GIANT POISONOUS ROBOTIC FISH!" there's a pause in the loud sounds and he wonders if he can turn down the volume, "Interesting, interesting. GET OVER HEERREE!"

He giggles as an array of colours move wildly around Mikey, who slips the t-phone back into his belt like a pro, "You're the smartest person I know."

Big baby blue eyes blink widely at him in silence, "Uhm…"

The colours glide over him like a smooth river, and Raphael lifts a shaky hand to poke the sashaying wave of dark and light blue mixing with bright sporadic yellow against his brother's plastron, face and arm.

He keeps prodding his finger into his brother's cheek and gums, watching with fascination as the colours move unabated while his brother speaks, "Leo, now what am I supposed to do!"

"Keep alert and k-_eep_!" there's an ugly thud somewhere, "…And keep calm!"

Michelangelo doesn't speak as he grabs his poking hand, looking to and fro uncomfortably before settling his attention more firmly on Raphael. Raphael notices this and his smile fades, developing a yearning for the company of his pet so he can share the joy of the sights.

His caught fingers mildly twitch in Michelangelo's grasp and he looks away in the direction of the wider room, "Like that tree wisping around with a Spike and a sewer pipe."

His hand is released and he holds it steady, tracing the movements of the walking tank fish with emoticons on its buttocks as a distant Leonardo swishes blue intricate patterns into the colours. He titters at the vertiginous splendour.

"And you are really the smartest guy eveerr," he releases the easy compliment again, his fingers now randomly twitching on their own; it felt nice and funny.

At the corner of his eye Michelangelo still seems sad, looking down at him with real worry.

"Looook Spiiike, colloouurrrssss…" he moves his finger, causing the pretty colours to swirl and undulate.

He watches the lovely motions, smiling wide at the all-consuming entertainment. The actions of the animated objects all around him don't stop their tomfoolery amidst it, eliciting a weak laugh as he watches in distraction.

"He keeps telling me I'm the smartest guy he knows."

His forearm flops back to his side; it's too heavy, too weak, to stay up. He continues gazing around, twitching a little, feeling his left knee shift, and soon spotting two humans moving through the sparkling waterfalls of euphoric colours behind Michelangelo.

"_Green_ man, and I mean waaay more than usual-" Mikey abruptly turns towards the men and jumps them.

It's disorientating; the scene is a mess of action in sheens of colours. His stomach stirs…

As his body retches he distantly overhears a voice, "Nah he doesn't have any-"

He chucks up. It feels awful.

"_No_ check that! Aaoow what the – I knew you ate my pizza! You _liar_!"

Feeling much better he relaxes into Mikey's grip, whom is moving him from the smelly yuck, and closes his eyes. The darkness is warm, sleepy. His chest area is feeling a touch constricted… but he's busy falling asleep.

"Donnie, get here noooow!" out of nowhere hands press to his plastron protectively, "Don't you dare! Stay away!"

"Make me," hisses an unimportant voice.

There's a whirr and a smack, then silence…

Something jolts him from his near sleep – a shattering rush of smashing bricks and screeching tires. It was _huge_.

It made him snap his eyes open, blinking at the roof; the once lively emoticon cartoons are fading from life with every tight and dizzy breath. He tries to move his arms, but he couldn't. He wriggles his toes, twitching his fingers – it confuses him; three toes, three fingers. Three toes. Three fingers. Three… three… three fingertoes?

Someone rushes by him – light green blue Leo – and he hears the matching voice call for Mikey, who got blown into the colours… it's nice to know someone is looking out for his blown away baby brother again.

"Raph, you still with us buddy?" hands touch his arm, making the accompanying voice much easier to distil from the world around him.

He manages to prop himself a touch onto his elbows, "Donnie…?"

"Yeah Raph?"

"Why are there…" hard to breathe, hard to speak – he feels lightheaded, "Fingers on my feet?"

He turns his unbalanced head to Donnie, expecting an answer; unable to comprehend his vulnerable reliance as his brother looks to his feet, then back to him with the sweetest reassuring smile.

"Don't worry buddy, you'll be okay," he has such a good voice.

He pulls out a gun-shaped needle from his belt, piercing his skin a second later.

The sharp jab stuns him – such stark pain, as quick as it was, is so displaced from everything else. He feels a strangeness move through him, the world he's in fading, readjusting, calming… his chest loosens from whatever had been crushing it with increasing immobility.

He blinks, feeling strangely… better. In a way that made his head thud with dull ache, made the colours vanish, made him aware of the cool air on his skin. It's a freshening release…

He smiles, looking at his brother's face with slightly fevered gratitude, "Thanks, magical unicorn…"

His head swims with solidifying mental blocks – it's getting harder recalling the few seconds ago, all of it waning like a dream, leaving him knowing only for sure that he was out of his wits poisoned and lying on the ground.

Leonardo and Michelangelo are standing nearby attentively, leaning on each other from fight wounds. Donatello helps lift him up – he feels woozy, weak and sick, but he's able to stay standing on his own. His afflicted shoulder feels a little stiff and sore, sweaty even…

He stands there a bit, breathing deeply, and glad he's not so much the centre of attention; he looks to his side where Donatello is having a go at the Pulveriser guy, trying not to seem confused or catching his breath too much as he stays silent at the exchange.

He just hopes no one brings it up at any future point in time, just ominously knowing he's embarrassed himself…

THE END


	2. Chapter 2

_From the Other End_

_By Tigan-Ada_

Raphael holds Leonardo close.

Fishface had gotten keen in that fight; he normally doesn't resort to biting – the action is a little _too_ far removed from his humanity, but he managed to snip the very edge of his brother's arm just enough for a touch of venom to slip in.

It was just a graze against the skin, eliciting only a weak burning sensation and he felt no nausea or weakness – so Leonardo fought on, adrenaline pumping the sliver of venom through his veins to every portion of his body for a full on fifteen minutes amongst the Foot ninjas… and he started to sweat, started to feel unmistakable daze.

Raphael had seen the snippet of a bite, so noticing the change he rushed to his aid; Leonardo managed to swing a few sharp _katas_ in the way of Fishface before his movements rapidly grew lazy, clumsy and inaccurate.

His legs buckled and Fishface, ever the cruellest, took gleeful advantage and kicked him in the face. As his brother toppled to the very edge of the rooftop Raphael plunged himself against his foe and beat him aside… long enough to rush over and scoop Leonardo into a secure grip.

He threw a smoke bomb and hid in a nearby apartment, wedging his _sai_ through the window sealing and slipping through, silently hoping none within were awake while holding a hand over Leonardo's mouth; even at an early stage his perception of danger was dissipating, and he didn't want him to give away their position.

Still kneeling in the lightless apartment, he carefully scans the outside, checking every angle he could from the closed window. Leonardo's eyes are glazed with unfocused delirium, his head gently turning this way and that beneath his hand as his lips muffle words against his palm.

Though inaudible his tone sounds serious, critically calm, as if he's giving orders in this predicament; but Raphael doubts they're sensible. Figures he'd be like that under the influence.

The real danger to the venom is a slow asphyxiation, paralysing the lung muscles until you're left breathless and dead; and being quickly left in a weak and delirious state, there's nothing you can do to help yourself… to even _know_ you need help.

What they need is Donatello – he neglected to carry any anti-venom with him tonight. His left arm steadying the weight of his brother's head, holding him up just so by the rim of his shell, so he'll have to remove his right hand to grab his t-phone.

A new soft muffle escapes him, but Raphael will have none of that alerting anybody from outside or within here.

"Sssh," he meets his eyes, hoping the sudden silence means he's paying attention, "I've got'cher back Leo. Be _quiet_."

He takes off his hand and whips out the t-phone; Leonardo is still gazing up at him with crossed eyes, his lips slightly parted upon release. His head subtly tilts in the crook of his supporting arm, looking up at the roof – no doubt seeing a myriad of warped figments of his imagination.

'_Pick up pick up, come oooooon-!'_ he doesn't know how long Leonardo will keep quiet – he appears occupied with some sights to his left, smiling with his mouth half open. Finally the call is answered and he doesn't wait, keeping his voice low with urgency, "Donnie! Leo's been bit, by Fishface, track us now and get over here!"

"_Oka-"_

He hangs up and promptly covers Leonardo's mouth, cutting off the start of new vocal gibberish. He's not loud, but hiding in an apartment he's taking no chances.

He keeps on edge, listening and sensing for any movement or stirring in the beyond the doors; idly wondering if he's led any Foot into making an innocent's home a target… that would suck.

How long will it take Donatello to arrive here? He doesn't know, but hopes they won't run into any straggling ninjas still lurking about. Perhaps he should've told him that possible titbit…

Extracted from his thoughts at Leonardo's hands touching his face, Raphael puts up with it as Leonardo mumbles what could be a quotation of _Space Heroes_. It certainly sounds familiar.

…Not that _he_ watches it to be _that_ familiar or anything.

Trying to figure out something useful to do, he struggles to remember his own poisoned experience; he can only dredge up figments of nonsensical colours, everything unrecognisable, a sense of mindless glee and sleepy safety. The gradual restriction of breath wasn't a concern of his, but he recalls feeling it tightening… and tightening…

He focuses on Leonardo's breath, timing it, judging its strength.

His lips move in another warm murmur and-… do they feel colder than before? He doesn't remember that being a part of it, but why would he? Michelangelo hadn't spoken of such an effect – he was too busy keeping him alive, safe from enemies. Donatello didn't have time nor reason to look him over and note any more symptoms.

With a curious thought, he lets go of his mouth and touches his brother's fingertips; they're freezing!

Swiftly slapping his hand back over Leonardo's mouth the moment his arms start twitching, trying to move as he gazes around with sudden excitement and speaking giddily. There's a strain in the sound and effort of his oblivious voice, his breathing ever so slightly thinner than it should be…

Raphael's heart skips an anxious beat.

It's starting. His asphyxiation is starting!

_Where_ is Donnie?!

Twentys hateful minutes tick by. He's never felt loneliness as horrible and hapless as this. He's almost beginning to rock his brother in his arms, anxiety making his muscles shiver with straining panic.

Leonardo has started falling silent, eyes fluttering shut every other minute… breathing narrow…

He slaps his cheek, "Stay awake. Stay awake for me."

Leonardo's eyes reopen… his breathing is so slight, so shallow – how he hopes the tracing device is working, how he awaits the relief of Donatello appearing at the window. He tightens his grasp and, removing his hand once more, wraps his spare arm around him and presses his cheek upon his head.

A thin and contently surprised sigh escapes Leonardo, his voice faint and airy, "That's nice…"

"Ssshh. Save your breath."

"Kraang."

"…You're not a Kraang."

"And I shall have a tea party."

"_Save your breath_-!" his whisper trembles with frustrated apprehension, lifting his head back up to look at him.

His gaze is painfully distracted and unclear, his thoughts anywhere but the 'here' and 'now'; Raphael ached for lucidity, but the venom kept him separated from his brother on a whole new level. It hurt. There can be no real finality, no real last words… now he knows how Michelangelo felt.

At least there's no pain, not really…

And he'll ensure he keeps his dignity. He wipes a trickle of saliva from his cold lips and, with an unsteady and shuddering voice, whispers the ancient rite their father taught them as his own lips quivered.

But Raphael can't finish the rite… his young fifteen year old heart is breaking, splitting his inexperienced warrior's composure into unsalvageable pieces.

"…But you're my brother," he rocks him in his arms, tears overflowing his young green eyes, "Don't die…"

He kisses his forehead, gently, tenderly, unpractised and unsure of how he's to do it.

Tears dribble down his cheeks, droplets falling off his lower lip and chin, splashing onto Leonardo's still face. He's gonna kill Donnie when he gets here…

"Raph!"

He looks up, startled; something immense floods him, overwhelming him with an incredible urge to prostrate himself against Donatello in grateful relief.

Donatello's brown eyes are wide, drinking in the scene as he slips through the broken window with ease, the window seal silent despite its broken state. He touches Leonardo with both hands by instinct before moving a hand to his neck, feeling a slow and stale pulse.

He whips out his bag, unzips it, digs out the needle and punctures the vein in his left arm. Nothing happens for an eternity…

And then Leonardo releases a noticeable breath of air, his chest rising with easing depth. Both brothers visibly relax, but firm worry keeps them from dismissing the danger.

Warmth slowly returns to his fingers, his skin, and they detect a soft moan as he shifts in Raphael's arm. Now Raphael's shoulders slump, the burden of inevitable death lifting blissfully.

He blinks, shooting out his spare arm and grabbing Donatello's clasped sash over the shoulder, "Where were you?!"

"Ssshhh! Hey I got here! You won't believe the kind of stuff I had to go through just to make it!" judging by the exhausted flush in his cheeks, he didn't lie.

He lets him go, self-consciously wiping the veil of tears from his cheeks. He didn't have to worry of Donatello leaking his broken moment to anyone, and it would be wrong to threaten him when he too had gone through something else, knowing his brother was dying all the while.

Leonardo stirs, blinking open his eyes; sluggish and lightly fevered, he slowly looks at them both as a soft mumble slips through, "I wanna hijack _Space Heroes_…"

Raphael smiles at Donatello, who smiles back.

THE END


End file.
